Nippon Kayaku and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) collaboratively announced that they’ve successfully developed a motor coil that can maintain its peak power more than two times longer than a conventional model by using a breakthrough thermal conductive heat-resistant insulating material.

This new insulation, developed by Nippon Kayaku, can withstand a maximum operating temperature of 250°C. Furthermore, the improved heat transfer increases motor efficiency by 1%.

In a press release, JAXA stated:

“For an electric aircraft to efficiently take off, it is important to maintain maximum power for a brief period. However, a conventional motor cannot sustain maximum power for a long time or the coil will burn out due to the temperature increase. Thus the necessary output power was secured by using a bigger motor system, limit the operation time and maximum power of the motor, or by introducing a cooling system. Therefore, in order to realize a smaller high-performance electric aviation motor, JAXA has been seeking a coating for the motor coil that has both insulation properties and strength while promoting thermal conductivity.”

So, to take off, electric aircraft need loads of power (for only 2-5 minutes), then it’s on to normal flight. But there’s no sense is using a monstrous motor if you only needs its power occasionally. That’s why Nippon Kayaku and JAXA created this new insulating material. It allows a smaller motor to maintain peak power for a longer period of time.

This potentially groundbreaking solution could easily be applied to electric vehicles. The result would be smaller, lighter electric motors that still pack a punch when needed.

This is an important breakthrough for an electric V22 that only need a short time burst of power at take off. The V22 could be simplified and improved by replacing its twin turboshafts by two electric motors and having a generator as range extender. In the process the V22 would acquire IR signature erasure capability at least for a short duration which would eliminate a major threat from missile attacks. Adding stealth features would make the stealth version of the electric V22 even more capable.
In the same time the V44 is now more easy then ever by simply using two more relatively cheap electric motors.
In civilian application there is now a strong convergence to make a Falx type vehicle in an electric version realistic.